June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
2 photos
Quick Facts
- NAME: Frank Zappa
- OCCUPATION: Director, Songwriter, Guitarist, Music Producer
- BIRTH DATE: December 21, 1940
- DEATH DATE: December 04, 1993
- EDUCATION: Antelope Valley Junior College, Chaffey Junior College
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Baltimore, Maryland
- PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
- Full Name: Frank Vincent Zappa
- AKA: Frank Zappa
Best Known For
Musician Frank Zappa made more than 60 albums during his career. Flouting convention and fusing musical genres, Zappa's music was often politically charged and intentionally shocking.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowFrank Zappa. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:49, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382.
Frank Zappa. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Frank Zappa." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 12:49 http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382.
"Frank Zappa," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Frank Zappa," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Frank Zappa [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382.
Frank Zappa, http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Frank Zappa. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/frank-zappa-9540382. Accessed May 21, 2013.
But in 1971, serious setbacks occurred: during a concert in Switzerland, the venue went up in flames—the event was memorialized in Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water." Just one week later, Zappa suffered an on-stage fall that resulted in serious injuries including a crushed larynx and multiple fractures—he was left with a limp, a lowered voice, and back pain for the rest of his life.
Never fully fitting into the rock genre anyway, partly due to his refusal to embrace its drug culture,
he moved toward the formation of new bands with more of a jazz base. The decade of the '70s cultivated his reputation as one of the music industry’s most accomplished and demanding bandleaders. His prolific orchestral output was bisected by an unexpected Top 40 hit, "Valley Girl," performed with his daughter, Moon Unit, which funded more of his less commercially viable musical projects.
Other Projects
Outside of playing music, Zappa directed music videos, short films and features, and he became obsessed with the infinite possibilities synthetic music offered because it could accommodate almost most anything he dreamed up. Stints as a guest speaker on social activism emerged after his Senate testimony about censorship in music.
In 1985, Czechoslovakian President Václav Havel appointed Zappa as his cultural liaison officer, but Pesident George H.W. Bush soon quashed the appointment. Thereafter, Zappa briefly considered running for U.S. president.
While the general public's perception was often one of a kook, Zappa was deeply respected as a consummate musician and composer, an innovative filmmaker, and a prolific cross-genre artist.
Death and Legacy
Frank Zappa died from prostate cancer on December 4, 1993, at the age of 52, in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife of 26 years, Gail Sloatman, who had managed much of Zappa's business concerns in his later career, and their four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. After Zappa's death, his family released the statement: "Composer Frank Zappa left for his final tour just before 6 p.m. Saturday."
In 1995, Frank Zappa was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; in 1997, he was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Frank Zappa profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Guitar Heroes
View groupThey've set their instruments on fire, broken them over their heads, played them behind their backs, learned how to make them screech, and—above all—shown the world what it means to truly rock a guitar. Here is a group of some of the most legendary guitarists of the modern era.
Guitar Heroes 21 people in this group
-
Sober Celebs
View groupDespite their fame and fortune, celebrities aren't immune to all the problems that afflict ordinary people. The problems of drug and alcohol addiction plagues many stars, particularly those who enjoy hard-partying lifestyles. Fortunately, many talented individuals have been able to kick their addictions and lead healthy lives. Here are some celebs who have sobered up.
Sober Celebs 55 people in this group
-
Famous Sagittarians 566 people in this group
